Chapter 335: Official affairs are in full swing, and there is no talent for virtue!
The forty-third year of the Jiajing reign, New Year’s Eve.

According to the usual practice, it should be a day of rest, but the cabinet ministers, the ministers of the six ministries and nine departments, the government offices in the capital, and even the local government offices are all busy.

All kinds of national policies, new orders, the will of the superiors, and the emotions of the subordinates made all officials in the world breathless.

Many officials, thinking of their mothers’ nagging and their wives and children’s reproaches when they went to the yamen in the morning, suddenly thought of resigning or becoming officials outside the capital.

Now, ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty could earn dozens of taels of silver a year by working hard in the fields. Why should they risk their lives in the court for these dozens or hundreds of taels of silver?

What about going back to my hometown and farming?

of course.

The officials knew that they were lazy and did not know the difference between grains, and they also knew that working in the fields was not an easy job. Their complaints were just words and would pass soon. Then, they would throw themselves back into their hard work.

Given the official workload of Ming officials today, they have little time to eat and drink, let alone embezzle money.

The court administration was completely clean, but the “loss” of officials was increasing rapidly.

Cabinet, government hall.

Gao Gong, the chief minister of the cabinet, was shocked and distressed when he saw the figures of officials who had died in office reported by the two capitals and 18 provinces.

Last year alone, nearly a thousand people died suddenly, which is more than the total number during the first two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty.

There were only one million officials and clerks in the dynasty, but more than one thousandth of them died from exhaustion.

In addition to various investigations and accountability, the official turnover rate in the Ming Dynasty was very high. At least 10% of the official positions and clerkships would change within a year.

This was a terrible thing for a dynasty that had lasted for 200 years, as it meant that the imperial court was a pool of “living water”.

If the imperial court survives, the officials cannot survive.

“Look at them all.”

Gao Gong handed over the official letter, and the Secretary Gao Youshi hurriedly took it, walked to the desks of the ministers, and showed it to them one by one.

Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, Hai Rui and Zhu Heng remained silent. In the court, the cabinet was undoubtedly the busiest place. Domestic and foreign affairs, the two capitals, eighteen provinces, government affairs, and military affairs all gathered here. The burden and pressure on their shoulders were only more, not less, than that of other officials, but none of these could crush them.

But we cannot generalize the situation to others. The vigorous energy of the cabinet elders today is unmatched since the establishment of the cabinet in the Ming Dynasty.

You know, most people in this world do not have the wisdom and energy of the old man. When doing things, they always feel that there are countless difficulties and dangers, and they are tired physically and mentally.

Even so, the original cabinet members Gao Gong, Hu Zongxian and Li Chunfang in Beijing could not handle the workload, so Hai Rui and Zhu Heng were added to the cabinet to share the burden.

The cabinet is too busy to recruit new officials and clerks, so it is time for local government offices to recruit new officials and clerks as well.

However, the four cabinet ministers Hu Zongxian understood the deeper meaning of Gao Gong’s words, but no one said it out loud, not even Gao Gong dared to say it.

The emperor regards officials as enemies and clerks as thieves, and believes that the sufferings of the people throughout the country are all caused by the officials’ corruption and abuse of power.

Although the emperor never said, “If you don’t do it, there are plenty of people who will do it,” this is indeed his attitude towards officials.

Whenever there is dissatisfaction, we will replace them with a new batch.

In the past three years, even the cabinet has changed three teams. If this is the case for the senior cabinet members, what about ordinary officials?

Any petition to add officials would certainly be rejected.

But in the Ming Dynasty, the number of provinces was increased by five. If the number of officials under the old system was maintained, I am afraid that more and more people would die in office.

Redundant officials and clerks no longer exist.

Gao Gong tapped the documents on the table twice and said, “The cabinet cannot remain silent forever unless we say a word tomorrow, next month, or next year.”

Still no words.

Gao Gong then used his power as prime minister to pick a weak target, looked at Li Chunfang and gestured for him to take over.

If you don’t respond, just stare.

Li Chunfang, who had been severely beaten during the mission to move to Yongling and had been very honest in recent days and had regained his true nature as the old man from Licorice, felt an inexplicable pain in his back teeth. This guy always bullies the weak and fears the strong.

If you are so capable, why don’t you keep an eye on Hai Rui?

After considering many aspects, Li Chunfang had no choice but to say, “I believe in the wisdom of future generations.”

Just six words.

Everyone in the government hall couldn’t hold it anymore.

Gao Youshi, the youngest and lowest-ranking man who only serves the cabinet, has an exaggerated and distorted expression on his face.

But Gao Gong was angry.

Hu Zongxian, Hai Rui and Zhu Heng looked at Li Chunfang with admiration, contempt, and then a bit of shame.

In the past, when something happened in the imperial court that was difficult to change or met with great resistance, affecting the national economy and people’s livelihood, the cabinet and the imperial court would often say this.

Now, the situation has been reversed and applied to the imperial court. The cabinet ministers now realize how difficult it is.

This statement completely disregards people’s life and death.

However, the imperial court at that time was so disregarding of the lives of the people.

Silence, broken defense, sounded silently in the chest.

Are the court officials all accusing the cabinet of not doing their job? How can the court be governed well with such cabinet ministers?

Licorice! Licorice!
It’s a good medicine, and it’s really bitter.

Hu Zongxian sighed and said, “Go and see the emperor.”

Since there is a reaction from below, the cabinet cannot remain indifferent and ignore the fact that the situation is in full swing. Even if nothing can be changed, the emperor should be informed.

Gao Gong managed to calm down, looked at Hu Zongxian, and asked, “In the name of what?”

Adding officials is a taboo to the emperor, and it is obviously not something that can be reported directly.

“That’s it.” Hai Rui spoke up and shook the government affairs in his hands, which received unanimous approval from the elders.

……

Ok Hee Palace.

Zhu Houcong first read the “Essay on the Virtue of Women Without Talent” placed at the top, put it aside temporarily, and looked at the book on the official who died suddenly in the 43rd year of Jiajing at the bottom.

Turning the pages of the book, Zhu Houcong saw one name after another, and behind the names were the basic information of the officials and the official business they were handling before their death.

It is impossible to say that all the thousands of officials died for the people, but most of them did. “True is true and false is false, false is false and true is true. When false is made true, true becomes false. When nothing is made, something becomes nothing.”

Zhu Houcong thought of the couplet in the Land of Illusion. The ministers sitting on the embroidered cushions couldn’t help but lean forward. Everyone knew that the list was not completely true, but death is the greatest thing. As long as one died in office, the local provincial governments and court inspectors would be willing to turn a blind eye and give pensions for fulfilling their duties loyally.

Zhu Houcong read the “biographies” one by one, and the ministers waited there until they finished reading them all. Then he looked at Gao Gong and asked, “Can you still hold on?”

Gao Gong immediately stood up, bowed and replied: “Your Majesty, I can hold on!”

Zhu Houcong nodded, looked at Hu Zongxian and the other three, and continued to ask, “What about you?”

Hu, Li, Hai, and Zhu all stood up at the same time, bowed, and said in unison: “Your Majesty, we can hold on!”

“I know that this is not your limit, nor is it the limit of the court officials. All your complaints and grumbles are just because you see the people getting richer, while your salaries remain the same.”

Zhu Houcong pointed out the essence of this official situation: officials are officials, people are people, and officials always look down on others. How can the hard work I put in when I grow up be comparable to the ten years of hard study I put in when I was young?
For an official, the suffering I have endured should have ended the moment I entered the officialdom.

Once things don’t go as planned, resentment arises.

The Jinyiwei and the Tiqi are all over the country, and they are not only keeping an eye on corrupt officials who commit crimes and do nothing, but they are also keeping an eye on all aspects. Now, there are no redundant officials or clerks, but it is still far from being a shortage of officials or clerks.

The ministers lowered their heads even lower and bent their waists even more.

Zhu Houcong said nothing more, but said: “I have asked the Jinyiwei to send the missing items to my ministers, and left some silver and money, including the civil and military officials who have served the country loyally. I will not let down any loyal minister or general. The sun, moon, mountains and rivers will last forever, and the Ming Dynasty will last forever. I only hope that you will go slowly!”

Heartfelt words.

The Five Cabinet Elders could tell that the emperor no longer viewed officials as enemies. Although he still did not agree to add new officials, he was watching the world through other means and would make adjustments to the court based on the specific circumstances.

The premise is that the cabinet and the court do not cause any trouble.

As long as you are wholeheartedly serving the people, Your Majesty will never forget your efforts and contributions.

“We thank our king and father for his understanding.” Gao Gong took the lead in kneeling, followed by Hu Zongxian, Li Chunfang, Hai Rui, and Zhu Heng, who all knelt and cheered loudly.

At this moment, the words “king and father” came completely from the heart and had a factual quality.

Zhu Houcong looked at his ministers who were prostrating themselves on the ground, and who were so grateful for the slightest favor. It would be a lie to say that he was not touched. He shook his head and said, “You are the chief officials of all the courts. The whole court is full of your subordinates. If I have any complaints, I dare not blame me, so I will blame you. Thank you for your hard work!”

“Be loyal to your king and father, even if you die, you will never regret it!”

They said in unison again.

“That being said, I cannot really watch you being stabbed in the back by the officials like this. A clean government is a good thing for the country and the people. It enriches the national treasury and makes the people happy. I cannot touch the wealth of the people, but I can decide the money in the national treasury. Just increase their salaries.”

God’s grace and salary increase.

Gao Gong and others couldn’t help but burst into tears. After four years, the emperor finally agreed to increase the salaries of officials.

The reason why officials complain is that they feel that their efforts are not proportional to their salaries. Once their salaries increase, all their dissatisfaction will immediately disappear.

“Your Majesty, your father is wise!” The elders kowtowed in unison.

Zhu Houcong thought for a moment and said, “How about 50%?”

Increasing salaries by half can be said to be the limit of the court.

Take the report on the court’s income and expenditure in the 43rd year of Jiajing submitted by the cabinet some time ago as an example.

The total amount of taxes in one year reached an unprecedented 200 million taels of silver.

There were two capitals and eighteen provinces, twenty capitals and provinces, with a total number of officials of nearly 200,000 and a total number of clerks of nearly 800,000.

The average annual salary of officials was eighty taels of silver, and the average annual salary of clerks was forty taels of silver.

In the 43rd year of the Jiajing reign alone, the salary expenditures for court officials amounted to 16 million taels of silver, and the salary expenditures for clerks amounted to 32 million taels of silver.

The total amount was 48 million taels of silver, which was more than the national tax revenue forty years before Jiajing.

But there was no way around it. Previously, the salaries of clerks were paid by officials. For their own sake and for the sake of the clerks, the officials found ways to embezzle and squeeze the people’s money.

Now, the imperial court has brought all the officials, staff members, and advisers under the imperial order, and the salaries of hundreds of thousands of people are more than that of the officials themselves.

In addition, before the 40th year of Jiajing, the imperial court often defaulted on the salaries of officials and military pay for officers and soldiers, spending money before it was earned and having nothing left over. In order to make the court’s accounts look good, the arrears were not recorded, which resulted in many bad debts and confusing accounts for the court at that time.

The expenditure of 48 million taels of silver on officials’ salaries that year was the real settlement of accounts.

It is obvious that the court’s expenditure on officials’ salaries alone reached a quarter of the country’s tax revenue.

This is a terrifying number. The imperial court spent too much money on officials. Even during the heyday of the Song Dynasty, the expenditure on officials was not as much as it is now.

But Zhu Houcong knew that there was no corruption, no redundant officials or clerks, and everyone was doing their best.

This is due to the limitations of the times and is inefficient.

This is also the reason why Zhu Houcong was reluctant to increase the salaries of officials. It is said that during the Ming Dynasty, the salaries of officials were extremely low, but we also have to calculate the purchasing power of the officials’ salaries and the proportion of the officials’ salaries in the national tax revenue.

It’s impossible for the imperial court to spend all the tax revenue on officials, right?

If the salaries of officials were increased by 50%, the salary expenditures for officials of the Ming Dynasty in the next year would reach an even more terrifying 72 million taels of silver. If the national tax revenue did not increase next year, the salary expenditures for officials alone would account for three-eighths of the total revenue of the court.

If this happened in later times, the fiscal deficit caused by the expenditure of officials’ salaries would cause a large country to go bankrupt.

This is another limit to the increase in officials’ salaries!
Until officials have worked to their limit, their salaries will never be increased.

“On behalf of millions of officials in the world, I bow down to thank you for the grace of your majesty!” Gao Gong led the way in praising the emperor.

“We bow down to thank the emperor and father for their grace!” Hu, Li, Hai and Zhu praised the emperor in unison.

Zhu Houcong shook his head and asked Huang Jin, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, to help the weeping elders up, sit them back on the embroidered cushions, and calm them down.

It was a rare moment of harmony between the monarch and his subjects. With a wise monarch in power and virtuous ministers filling the court, the ministers all enjoyed this moment of warmth.

But after wiping away the tears, Zhu Houcong put the important matters to be discussed during this audience on the top of the imperial desk.

“A woman without talent is a woman without virtue.”

The gist of the memorial was quite simple. Many officials in the court and common people were opposed to girls of appropriate age entering schools to study etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics. It could also be called a military academy.

The official who submitted the memorial said in his memorial, “A man with virtue is talented, while a woman without talent is virtuous.”

Zhu Houcong looked at Gao Gong and the other five men. The five cabinet ministers couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. If they had known that the emperor and father were considerate of their ministers and that the officials’ affairs were going so smoothly, they should not have submitted this memorial.

As expected, Zhu Houcong suppressed his gentle dragon power and turned violent. He said slowly: “I want to know, is it that the officials who submitted the memorial have not read books, or that you, the current university scholars, have not read books?”

(End of this chapter)